An automated storage and retrieval system comprising an automated storage and retrieval grid and a delivery system. The automated storage and retrieval grid includes a container handling vehicle rail system for guiding a plurality of container handling vehicles and a delivery column adapted for transport of a storage container arranged in a stack of storage containers beneath the container handling vehicle rail system between a container handling vehicle and a delivery port situated at a lower end of the delivery column. The container handling vehicle rail system includes a first set of parallel rails arranged in a horizontal plane and extending in a first direction, and a second set of parallel rails arranged in the horizontal plane and extending in a second direction which is orthogonal to the first direction, which first and second sets of rails form a grid pattern in the horizontal plane including a plurality of adjacent container handling vehicle grid cells. Each container handling vehicle grid cell includes a container handling vehicle grid opening defined by a pair of neighboring rails of the first set of rails and a pair of neighboring rails of the second set of rails. The delivery system includes a remotely operated delivery vehicle including a container carrier adapted to support the storage container. The delivery vehicle is further adapted to transport the storage container between the delivery port and a second location for handling of the storage container by at least one of a robotic operator and a human operator.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
2. The automated storage and retrieval system according to claim 1, wherein the remotely operated delivery vehicle further comprises rolling devices connected to a vehicle body arranged below the container carrier.
3. The automated storage and retrieval system according to claim 1, wherein the remotely operated delivery vehicle has a delivery vehicle footprint with a horizontal extent which is equal to or less than the horizontal extent of the delivery vehicle grid cell.
4. The automated storage and retrieval system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of delivery vehicle grid cells of the delivery rail system is arranged directly below a container handling vehicle grid cell of the container handling vehicle rail system.
5. The automated storage and retrieval system according to claim 1, wherein each of the first and second set of rails of the delivery rail system is a double track rail comprising two parallel tracks separated by a protrusion running midway.
6. The automated storage and retrieval system according to claim 1, wherein each of the first and second set of rails of the container handling vehicle rail system is a double track rail comprising two parallel tracks separated by a protrusion running midway.
7. The automated storage and retrieval system according to claim 1, wherein the delivery rail system extends from a location below the delivery port and to the second location.
8. The automated storage and retrieval system according to claim 1, wherein the automated storage and retrieval grid comprises upright members which are finished short and suspended on a mezzanine level which itself has upright posts that are stepped out from the delivery column.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
June 11, 2019
June 27, 2023
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